Projectile



July 1, 1941. R, s sp pmg 2,247,563

PROJECTILE Filed Oct. 18, 1939 W :i m.

/6 56. 3 a 75017827 61 6302261)? Q 5 H6. 1 y

Patented July 1, 1941 UNHTED STATES PANT ()FFICE PROJECIILE Robert S.Spalding, Denver, Colo.

Application October 18, 1939, Serial No. 300,039

4 Claims.

This invention relates to projectiles.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a projectilecomprising a web to receive the force of a propulsive charge, andcarrying a bullet of smaller diameter adapted to be disassociated fromsaid Web upon the exhaustion of the propulsive force of the charge andto continue in flight alone.

Another object is to provide a projectile such that a bullet may befired from a barrel larger in diameter than the bullet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a projectile such thatan explosive or propulsive charge of any character or amount may beutilized in setting in flight a desired bullet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a projectile such thatthe design and organization of the firing piece may be independent ofthe size and character of the bullet to be fired.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby a bulletmay be fired without coming into direct contact with the barrel of thefiring piece or the hot gases generated by the explosion of a propulsivecharge.

A further object of the invention is to provide a projectile such thatthe bullet to be fired may be of any desired material, or may containwithin itself any desired charge.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the bulletto be fired may be of any desired shape within the limits imposed by anon-diverging trailing portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby bullets ofdilierent diameters and masses may be selectively fired from a givenfiring piece.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combinationof elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims andillustrated by the accompanying drawing, in

Which I Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved projectile. Figure 2is an axial section taken as indicated by 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is ashowing, partly in section and on a reduced scale, of the projectileindicated in Figure 2, positioned within a rifled barrel, portions ofsaid barrel being broken away.

I will refer to that portion of my projectile which is adapted to goforward in effective flight as a bullet, although it may be of anysuitable size and specific conformation, and may itself contain anexplosive charge, or may be adapted for some special purpose such ascasting a line attached thereto.

. discharge from the barrel of a firing piece.

In the use of conventional forms of projectiles, the shape and characterof the bullet to be discharged, and the organization of the operativeelements of the firing piece, as well as the quality and character ofcharge to be utilized, must of course be correlated in accordance withthe characteristics of each in order to form an effective operativeassembly. It will be readily apparent that the character of my improvedprojectile is such that many such limitations heretofore existing areeliminated, permitting great freedom in the selection and design both ofthe bullet and the associated elements of the firing piece. Likewise,great latitude is permissible as to the propulsive charge, which mayconsist of the conventional explosive charge of powder or the like, orfor special purposes may consist of expansive or explosive gases orliquids.

For the purpose of directly receiving the force of the propulsivecharge, I provide as a part of my projectile as assembled for insertioninto a suitable firing piece, a web I0, which may be of any suitablematerial adapted to Withstand and react to the stresses necessarilyencountered in This Web is of a diameter and contour adapted to fit thebarrel of the firing piece and to be discharged serefrom by the force ofthe propulsive charge. Web i0 is provided with an integral reentrantsocket 10, preferably formed so as to be coaxial with the barrel of thefiring piece when the projectile is positioned in said barrel for thepurpose of discharge, said socket being adapted to receive and hold abullet ll. Bullet I! is fixed Within said socket sufiiciently securelythat the projectile is susceptible of the necessary handling preliminaryto use, and for positioning in the firing piece, but is so associatedwith Web 19 that the bullet and web may readily disassociate themselvesupon discharge from the barrel. For the purpose of temporarily securingsaid .bullet in the socket I preferably utilize a fusible solder orcement, which binds the rear end of the bullet to the wall of thesocket, as indicated at l2. The bullet and the socket wall are suitablycontoured in relation to each other so that the bullet may readily flyforward out of said socket and continue its flight independently of saidWeb, as indicated by the broken line in Figure 2.

From the foregoing description of the assembly of Web ID and bullet I I,it is obvious that if said assembly be positioned in the barrel l5 of afir-' ing piece as indicated in Figure 3, and a charge of power or othersuitable explosive be placed rearwardly thereof in said barrel, and theend of said barrel rearwardly of said charge be closed by any suitableor conventional mechanism adapted for use in the firing of projectiles,upon the explosion of said charge said web and bullet will be shotforward as a unit, the fusible binder 12 will be melted by the hot gasesgenerated by the explosion, and upon said web and bullet entering theexterior atmosphere the forward flight of web l will be retarded byreason of its relatively large area transversely of the line ofprojection, and bullet II will continue in flight toward the targetposition.

For the purpose of adding strength to web it, and rendering itsusceptible of withstanding the force of the propulsive charge withoutadverse distortion, I provide suitable stays, which may conveniently beof the character indicated at 3 and I4, stay [3 extending between theperiphery of Web ID and the rearward portion of its socket, and beingsecured in any suitable manner so as to lend rigidity between saidportions of said web; stay 14 may extend rearwardly of the periphery ofweb It and perpendicular thereto for a suitable distance, and may curveinwardly and join said web in the vicinity of the forward portion of itssocket, stay I4 being likewise suitably secured to give the necessaryrigidity. The axial portions of the stays l4 engage against walls of therifle bore and serve to position and maintain the web l0 transversely ofsaid bore.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the web and bullet are positioned in arifled barrel, and in case of utilization in this manner the peripheryof web [0 should, of course, be of suitable material so that it mayeffectively coact with the grooves I6 in the barrel I in order that theconventional rotatory effect may be attained. In the case of utilizationwith a barrel of smooth bore of course the conventional principles ofdesign for that case will obtain.

The carrier assembly represented by the web I0, socket I0 and stays l3and It is so constructed and of such material as to be relatively verylight in Weight, thereby reducing the total weight of the projectileassembly for prompt reaction to propulsive forces acting thereon and forconcentration of mass in the bullet element l l. The web I0 ispreferably crowned in such manner and to such degree as will developenhanced sealing engagement between the periphery of said web and innerWalls of a rifle bore through fiexure of the web deriving from the forceof a pro-pulsive charge acting thereon, the inherent elasticity of thematerial forming said web and the stays l3 and I4 accommodating a degreeof distortion thereof under the tremendous forces normally generated toinitiate projectile flight.

Although I have illustrated my invention primarily for the purpose ofshowing the method of positioning in and discharge from a rifle bar-,rel, it is obvious that web It may readily be fitted into the open endof a cartridge case, containing an explosive charge, and fitted with acap and formed with a rim in the usual manner, so that the wholeassembly may serve as a cartridge and be utilized in a firing piece ofconventional de- Slgll.

Since many changes, variations, and modifications in the specific form,construction, and arrangement of elements shown and described may be hadwithout departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to beunderstood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims,rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoingdescription.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a compound projectile, a rearwardlytapered bullet and a carrier inseparable association therewith, said carrier comprising, in a unitaryassembly, a circular web, an integral, axially-disposed, retrocedingsocket opening forwardly through said web and adapted to receive andseat the tapered rear portion of a bullet, tension members fixedlyengaging between points on the margin of said web and the rearward endof said socket, and stays fixed to and extending rearwardly from saidweb margin in parallel relation with the web axis.

2. In a compound projectile, the combination with a rearwardly-taperedbullet of a carrier for said bullet adapted to separate therefrom duringflight, said carrier comprising a relativelythin, circular web formedwith an integral, thinwalled, axially-disposed, retroceding socketadapted to receive and seat the rearward portion of a tapered bullet,tension members engaging between spaced points of the web margin and therear end of said socket, and stays rigidly associated with and extendingrearwardly from the web margin in parallel relation with the assemblyaxis.

3. In a compound projectile, a carrier for rearwardly-tapered bullets,said carrier comprising, in a unitary rigid assembly, a relatively thin,circular, forwardly-crowned web formed with a thin-walledaxially-disposed, integral, retroceding socket contoured to receive andseat the rear portion of a bullet, tension members engaging betweenspaced points of said web margin and the rear portion of said socket tostiifen and strengthen the assembly, and a plurality of stays fixed inuniformly-spaced relation to said web margin and extending rearwardlytherefrom in parallel relation with the assembly axis to position andguide said assembly relative to the bore of a gun.

4. In a compound projectile, a carrier for rearwardly-tapered bullets,said carrier comprising a forwardly-crowned, circular web adapted formarginal engagement with the bore of a gun, a central,rearwardly-tapered socket rigidly associated with, opening forwardlythrough, and extending rearwardly of said web, tension membersconnecting between spaced points of said web margin and the rear end ofsaid socket to stiifen and strengthen the assembly, stays fixed inuniformly-spaced relation to and extending rearwardly from said webmargin in parellel relation with the assembly axis to position and guidethe assembly relative to the bore of a gun, and braces between therearward ends of said stays and said web and socket unit.

ROBERT S. SPALDING.

